Apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass



April 7, 1925.

E. B. LE MARE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF GLASS Fild Sept. 16, 1.924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i T l l l ]3 l IL I T 1; 7 I l l I l l 1 l l p April 7, 1925.

E. B. LE MARE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF GLASS Filed Sept. 16, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Patente'd Apr. 7 1925.

curren- STATES, PATENT oFFicE'.

BRISTOW LE man, or s'rjHELnNs; ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR To BROTHERS LIMITED, OF -LIVERZPOOL,. ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

APPARATUS ron PROD UGING A conrrnuous STIR-II or G'LAss.

Application filedSeptembr'lG, 1e24. seria1 na 7ss,045;--- f To all whom it may concern;- I

Be it known that I, ERNEST BRIs'row LE MARE, a -British"subject,.andresident of Merle Wood, Kiln Lane, St. Helens in the countyv of Lancaster, England, have. in-

vented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Producing a Continuous Strip of Glass, of which the followingis a specification.

producing a continuous strip of glass from molten glass in a tank, and has for its object improved apparatus whereby the strip produced issfiat and free from defects.

A continuous strip of glass has heretofore been produced by allowing molten glass, flowing from an orifice in a tank, or from a conduit therefrom, to fall or flow on to a rolling apparatus 'so as to form a pool which is carried'into the pass of the rolling apparatus. It has been found that the glass at the edges of this pool becomes cooled more than the main mass of glass in the pool andto an extent which injuriously affects the quality and flatness of the strip after,

5 molten glass 8 flowing 'along the conduit,"

rolling. e

According to this inventiomthe edges of thepool are protected from excessive cool; ingvby side Walls which extend the whole socl th of the pool "up to the pass of the rolling apparatus. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with the crown of the conduit cut 0E;

Figure 2 is asectional view through the center of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a half section on the line A -A of Flgure 1; a

' Figure 4 'is a section similar to Figure, 2

showing the invention applied to an alter native form of glass strip producing apparag tus, and

v Figure 5 is a section similar to F igure3.

3, a floor 4, side we] 5 and a mouth 7. The

This invention relates to apparatus 01 apparatus has acrown forms apool' 9 on the lower member 2 of the rolling apparatus and is continuous strip .10.

in Figures 1, 2 and 3, extend from the mouth 7 of the conduit to the pass of the rolling apparatus. Heating means are provided to'maintain the side walls, or that portion of them in contact with the glass in the pool 9, at a high temperature, consisting in gas jets 12 directing heating gases.

into conduits 13 in the side walls 11.

In the form of glass strip producing apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, the

'Thepoo1 9 is confined by the side walls" '11 which, in-the form of apparatus shown PILKINGTON rolled to form the i floor 4, of the conduit comes close to the chain-table 2, as shown inFigure 2, but in tance above the chain-table 2 and the stream of molten glassfalls from the mouth 7 of the form shown in Figure 4:, it is some disthe conduit on to the chain-table 2. In the latter case the sidewalls 11 are extended to unite and form a wall 14 at the back of the,

pool. ,A'lt'ernativelysuch back wall may-be formed as a lip depending from the mouth 7 of the conduit. I

' .Now, in rolling glass from a pool, it is of I great importance that the glass in the pool should flow continuously towards the pass of the rolling apparatus at'all points of the no backwater in which the glass can form eddies or remain nearly stationary, and no restriction sufficient to cause the glass to build up and ,fold over on itself. For this pool, that is to say, that there should be reason the contour of the side wallsll in diverging from the mouth"? of the conduit or from the ointat which the glass falls on to'the chain-table 2, is of great importance. The exact contour depends ona num-' ber of factors, such as the relative widths of that acontourwhich follows the contour of a pool, which is unconfined by side walls,

gives satisfactory results.

In order to extendi the protection against loss' of heat afforded by the side walls 11 to I the" upper siirface of the pool 9 near the edges, the side walls may be curved upwards and inwards as shown in Figure 5,-theoverhanging portion 15 of the side walls 11 beneath it from radiation andconvection. Instead of'the gas jets 12,- any known the. mouth 7 of the-conduit and strip and the speed of the roller,but it has been found .servingto protect the surface of the pool heating means, such as electric heating con ductors embedded in the walls, may be employed to maintain the side walls at a high temperature. Alternatively, the heating means may be confined to bring the side walls up to the requisite temperature and, as shown in Figure 5, they may be dispensed' with during the rollin operation and the temperature of the side walls 11 maintained by shielding them in any con- Venient way such as by packing them with heat-insulating material 16. i

The invention is also applicable to strip rolling apparatus in which the lower member of the rolling apparatus is a large roller instead of, as in the before described example, a chaintable. The bottom of theside walls then follows the curve of the large roller, and their contour, as in the case of a chain-table, follows that if an unconfined pool. 7 v

Having described my invention, I declare that what I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass by rolling glass .contained in a pool formed on one member of the rolling apparatus and fed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side-walls confining the pool up-to'the pass thereof, and means adapted to maintain the said side walls at a high temperature.

2. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass by rolling glass contained in a pool formed .on one member of the roll ing apparatus and fed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side walls confining the pool up to the pass thereof. said side walls diverging from the feeding point of the pool to the pass of the rolling apparatus in curves approximating to those of the edges of an unconfined pool, and means adapted to maintain the side walls at a high temperature.

3. In apparatusfor producing a continuous strip of glass byrolling glass contained in a pool formed on one member of the rolling apparatus and fed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side walls confining the pool up to the pass thereof, said side walls diverging from the feeding point of the pool to the pass of the rolling apparatus in curves approximating to those of the edges of an unconfined pool, and heating means in the side walls adapted to maintain the latter at I a high temperature.

4. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass byv rolling glass contained in a pool formed on one member of the rolling apparatus and fed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side walls confining the pool up to the pass thereof, said'side walls diverging from the feeding point'of the pool to the pass of the rolling apparatus in curves approximating to those of the edges of an unconfined pool, conduits in the side walls and means directing heating gases into the conduits to maintain the side walls at a high temperature.

5. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass by rolling glass con tainedin a pool formed on one member of the rolling apparatus and fed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side Walls confining the pool up to the pass thereof, means adapted to heat the .side Walls at the start of the operation," and shielding means adapted to restrict the loss of heat from the side walls during the operation.

6. In apparatus for producing a continu paratus of side walls confining the pool'up to the pass thereof, said side walls curving upwards and inwards over the edges of the pool .to prevent undue loss of heat at those parts of the pool, and means adapted to maintain the side walls at a high temperature.

7. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass by rolling glass contained in a pool formed on one member of the rolling apparatus andvfed from a melting tank, the combination with the said rolling apparatus of side walls confining the pool up to the pass thereof, said side walls diverging from the feeding point of the pool to the pass of the rolling apparatus in curves approximating to those of the edges of an unconfined pool, said side walls curving upwards and inwards over the edges of the roducing a continuous strip'of glass by rolling glass contained in a pool, the combination of'a conduit leading the glass from thesource of supply, a rolling apparatus closely adjacent to the conduit and on the lower member of which the glass from the conduit forms a pool, side walls extending from the mouth of the conduit to the pass of the rolling apparatus, and heating means adapted to maintain the side walls at a high temperature.

9. In apparatus for producing a continuous strip of glass by rolling glass contained in a pool, the combination of a conduit leading the glass from the source of supply, a rolling apparatus onthe lower member of which the glass from the conduit forms a pool, side walls confining the pool at its edges and uniting to form. a wall at the back of the pool and heating means adapted of the conduit to. the pass of the rolling apto maintain saidwallsat a high temperature. paratus, and curving upwards and inwards 10. In apparatus for producing a conover the edge of the pool to prevent undue tinuous strip of glass by rolling glass conloss of heat at those'parts of the pool, and

5 tamed in a pool, the combination of a conmeans adapted to maintain the side walls at 15 duit leading the glass from the source of a high temperature. supply, a rolling apparatus closely adjacent In testimony whereof have afiixed my to the'conduit and on the lower member of signature hereto.

which the glass from. the conduit forms a 10 pool, side walls extending from the mouth ERNEST BRIS TOW LE MARE. 

